This was originally released as the theme to the second Despicable me film, a film that's a decent distraction for kids and their parents that like many Illumination films, receives far too much hate these days. I don't think anyone could've predicted this Oscar nominated track would turn out to be a huge runaway success given the lack of hits Pharrell had prior to its release worldwide.
This lead single to Katy Perry's third album (as Katy Perry at least) sparked controversy due to the similarities it has to "Brave" by Sara Barelles which was released several months prior to this becoming an inescapable hit for Katy. It was just the themes of self-empowerment, rather it was the melody being very similar in both songs.
This was originally released in 2012 to deafening silence for the folk singer Passenger (he was originally the lead singer of a band with this name and used it as a stage name when he went solo) it was given a new life a year later when it became a surprise hit for him throughout the world.
This was the first big hit that Avicii had in most parts of the world, sure "Levels" did attract buzz for the Swedish producer earlier in the decade and he did have a hit here in Australia with "I could be the one" with Nicky Romero, however it was this track which featured an uncredited Aloe Blacc on vocals which made him a household name as well as proving that EDM and country music can work well together.
While this wasn't the first novelty track to make it big through the internet, it was the song which convinced Billboard to change how they calculated their charts due to it failing to get to number one in America due to it being a foreign language track that wasn't receiving much airplay over there. Naturally this decision would ruin the music industry throughout the decade, although that certainly wasn't this song's fault as it's just a harmless diss track towards the citizens of the Gangnam district in Korea.
Oh, this song, this was the song which ushered the world into the politically correct climate as it was the final straw for audiences who were tired of songs that depicted the narrator as a skeevy sex pervert having their way with the opposite sex. I can admit that this song does cross a few boundaries, however the backlash towards the track has gotten out of hand and birthed one of the most toxic aspects of the internet.
This is one of only two hits that John Legend had outside of his native America, the other was with Meghan Trainor where the two duetted on how they were going to love each other as if they would never see each other again (whatever that's supposed to mean.) Here we have John making a love ballad for his wife Chrissy Teigan which I'm sure connected with audience upon its initial release here in Australia as it took a while to take off everywhere else in the world.
There was a time where people were excited for what Macklemore had to offer the music industry, I won't go into why that's no longer the case except to say that people weren't happy with how much critical acclaim he and Ryan Lewis received at the expense of others back in the day. In any case, we have their breakthrough single about not wasting your money on expensive fads and instead being conscious with your spending habits.
This is one of those bittersweet hits that I've featured on this site as the band in question would go their separate ways just after it became a massive hit for them worldwide. I'm not sure why they called it quits as EDM would continue to thrive as the decade went on, however I'm guessing they didn't have much faith in this song when they released it and felt its success was a fluke when it took off.
This was one of the last hits that Pitbull had anywhere in the world, in fact I feel this was a success more due to Kesha's chorus as it had her working with a country beat as opposed to her usual club bangers from earlier in the decade. Pitbull would continue to have minor success after this became a hit, and while she had a lot of personal struggles after this, this wouldn't be the last we see of Kesha either.
Of all the songs to be P!nk's biggest hit of the decade, I wasn't expecting it to be her duet with Fun frontman Nate Reuss, but it appears that this ballad about the pair falling out of love connected with audiences upon its initial release better than anything else she (or he for that matter) released in the 2010's. This would be one of the last hits she would have in her native America as her popularity faded over there.
This was a bit of a comeback for OneRepublic given how they hadn't bothered the charts here in Australia since their first album back in 2008, although it's worth noting that this was a success here much sooner than it was in their native America likely due to it being a change in direction from their previous sound and their fellow Americans needing time to adjust to it before making it a hit on Billboard.
Following the success of his earlier entry on this list, Avicii was able to have a second hit with his album that's a fusion of country and EDM. This time he recruits country singer Dan Tyminski on vocals who manages to provide an equally compelling performance on this track as Aloe Blacc did on "Wake me up" which no doubt helped this become as successful as that track.
This is a bit of an odd entry, mainly because the debut single from Lorde technically was never released as a single in Australia and instead came on her E.P which charted on the albums chart in her homeland. No doubt it was the single which made the E.P a success for the NZ alternative singer largely thanks to it denouncing all of the cliches used in modern pop songs.
I did mention on the NZ side of this site that this was a big hit on the Australian streaming and digital charts despite being ineligible for our main charts, this is roughly where it would've appeared on the official list had it been eligible for the list. I guess I should bring up the song itself on this entry, it's another song that became popular this decade to be widely mocked for its strange concept and equally bizarre music video.
This was originally released two years prior to it being a huge chart topper for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, I guess this was meant to be their debut single but didn't find much love due to the pair being on a tiny indie label and Triple J not discovering their music until their earlier entry on this list. This was released as the second single in their native America from the Heist; however, it was pushed back as the third single internationally.
I have a complicated relationship with this song, mainly because I know that this is actually meant to be far dirtier than people give it credit for (you can say it's about inner beauty all you want people but trust me it's not.) Enough people were fooled by the lyrics that it became a massive hit for Labrinth and Emeli Sande, the latter of which never had a solo hit here in Australia and the former having one with "Earthquake."
Well, I've been pretty positive towards Taylor Swift so far on this list, let's change that by highlighting one of my least favourite songs from her due to it being her attempt at dubstep. Normally my problems with her come from her writing, however here it's the way it sounds which I'm guessing was the case due to it coming out around the height of Skrillex's popularity who ushered in the sub-genre into the mainstream.
This was the victory single for the 2012 season of X factor UK that also served as a charity single for a company known as Together for short lives in the UK which no doubt led to its popularity internationally for James Arthur. It seemed like he was a force for good in this world, however that perception changed when he posted stuff on social media that made him come off as homophobic.
I could talk about how this song's appeal is meant to be that it's actually a joke (albeit a pretty unfunny one in my opinion) about how this guy wants the approval of his girlfriend's dad to marry her until he realises said father doesn't like him, but that's been talked about to death already. Instead, I'll bring up that this was a huge hit in Australia and NZ during our summer season despite it being a mere modest success in their native Canada which resulted in their label marketing the song as a summer jam in America.
To think that this is the final hit single that Britney Spears has had in her career (as of this writing at least) mainly because I'm not even sure she's on this track given how uncharacteristic her performance is on this track compared to the rest of her catalogue (she sounds like Lady Gaga to me.) This also feels like something that was meant for a Black-Eyed Peas album that Will I am instead used for his solo album.
This was the second single to come from Rihanna's seventh album Unapologetic, an album that's been described as tired by even her most ardent defenders which I can certainly see with this track as she sounds downright depressed on here. She recruits indie singer Mikky Ekko to collaborate with her and drive this point home which likely explains its popularity at the time.
This was the first song from Bruno Mars to take influence from a past genre as opposed to a particular artist, although it was obvious that this was meant to be a tribute to the Police given how quickly people compared it to that band's back catalogue upon its initial release. Admittedly Bruno has always been quick to credit his inspirations as his debut album was heavily inspired by the works of Billy Joel.
This was a massive comeback hit for Daft Punk given how they hadn't troubled the charts anywhere in the world since 2001 with their album Homework, although this feels more like a Pharrell track given how he's the vocalist on this track which no doubt led to the success of his theme for the second Despicable me film from earlier on this list.
This was the second collaboration that Eminem had with Rihanna this decade, although it wasn't nearly as popular as their earlier entry likely for two reasons. First off, this has weird yodeling on it which I'm sure turned off fans, second is that we already had a team up of these two and the subject matter didn't change much from these songs.
Well, it looks like I can finally feature an artist from Iceland whose name isn't Bjork on this site, here we have the one and only international hit from Of monsters and men who took the world by storm a year after its initial release due to it being a duet between two people about how they'll always be in each other's hearts. I guess this was the precursor to "Never forget you" between MNEK and Zara Larsson.
This was written by Sia, I thought I'd bring that up because Rihanna said yes to this track where it became a huge worldwide chart topper for her but no to "Cheap thrills" (which is still to come) which wound up being a huge worldwide chart topper for Sia later in the decade. I guess I am curious to see a version of this song from Sia herself given how similar Rihanna sounds to her.
Now this is one of the more interesting songs to become a hit this decade, namely because it's about the victims of Pompeii and how the band Bastille attempt to internalise their thoughts in this song about them forever being crystalised from the disaster. This was such a compelling idea for a song that it even managed to crossover to America albeit a year after its initial release in their native UK.
This was released on time here in Australia for Jason Derulo given how popular he had become throughout the decade; indeed, you can argue that he successfully took the prince of RNB crown from Chris Brown down under given how Chris wouldn't have another hit down under until the very end of the decade with "No guidance." As such, this song where Jason compares his girlfriend's body parts to various celebrities was a hit here much sooner than it was on Billboard.
I guess we Aussies were bigger Nickelodeon fans that I otherwise would've thought as this duo comprised of two of its former child stars who released an album before calling it quits due to it flopping in their native America. We were definitely able to connect with this track that seems to be an anthem for those that the system has screwed over, however that wasn't the case on the Billboard charts.
This would've been Guy Sebastian's last hit here in Australia had he not scored a massive comeback later in the decade with "Choir," even then that song wouldn't come out for six years after this made it big which suggested that his popularity had finally runout once this dropped off the charts.
This was a song that took forever in a day to reach the upper echelons of the charts here in Australia, I'm guessing because we Aussies had to learn to love this EDM track from the Swedish duo Icona pop who admittedly, are an acquired taste given how abrasive their music can be. This was also the world's introduction to Charli XCX who would go on to have critical acclaim in the indie pop sphere after this.
People have claimed this was Macklemore pandering to the LGBT community, those are usually the same people who complain there isn't enough LGBT representation in the media which makes them impossible to please and should be avoided at all costs. Here the rapper makes an earnest ballad about how he supports gay rights due to the stories his gay uncle told him about his issues with homophobia.
I guess Bruno Mars didn't want to completely alienate his fans he won on his first album, so he released this song that could've been from Doo wops and hooligans as the second single to his second album to ensure those fans that he hadn't forgotten about them which prompted them and his new fans to make this an instant hit for him.
This was the only hit to come from the Lumineers in most parts of the world, mainly because it was released during the height of indie scene which spawned the likes of Fun and Imagine dragons right after the end of the club boom. This took a while to crossover internationally from their native America, I'm guessing because it admittedly sounds like something that was tailor made for commercials.
This is one of the first songs to greatly benefit from Billboard incorporating YouTube data onto their charts, indeed this does feel low on the list given how it seemed to be inescapable upon its initial release due to how everyone was talking about it and especially the video where Miley does indeed ride naked on a wrecking ball. I guess the rest of the world made it a hit due to it being an honest look at her love life at the time.
On the surface, this feels like a Bjork track given how it manages to recapture the bombast that the Icelandic singer was best known for during her heyday in the 90's. It turns out that this was the one and only hit from the British trio Sam and the womp which features vocals from its female member who calls herself Lady OO, that would certainly explain the monkey noises she makes throughout the track.
This was the final single to come from Calvin Harris's album 18 months, this time it was a collaboration with Ellie Goulding who had become the hottest British artist of the moment due to her song "Lights" nearly topping the Billboard charts in 2012 and Calvin wanting to cash in on her popularity with this track. It has a unique music video which was filmed on an iPhone that was passed around by those filming it.
Following the success of their earlier entry on this list, OneRepublic managed to score a second hit from their album Native in Australia and NZ in 2013 which showed signs that the band were here to stay as the decade went on. Alas they wouldn't have another hit until very recently from the second Top gun film of all places, meaning that these guys have a very unpredictable career when it comes to their success.
It may surprise you to learn that "Lights" wasn't a hit anywhere in the world except for America where it nearly topped the Billboard charts, meaning that this was the first solo hit she had in most parts of the world which was a song released on the deluxe edition of her second album Halcyon. She surprisingly didn't have much success here in Australia, or at least not as much as some of her contemporaries did.
This was one of only two hits from Karmin during their time in the spotlight, the other was "Brokenhearted" which won't be making an appearance on this site due to being not being a huge hit here in Australia. Instead, we have this track which I'm guessing is meant to be a parody of the likes of Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj given how easy it is to mock this song which it was back in the day.
Although the first hit these guys had in their native America was "It's time," it was this second single from their debut album Night visions where they started having massive international success likely due to the music video which depicted some form of fighting ring for plushies (if there were more strange videos this decade, it would go on that list.) This was also the first song of theirs to be overused in commercials, although it certainly wasn't the last.
This was the first hit that Miley Cyrus had following her departure from Disney, suffice to say, it's purpose for existing is for her to put as much distance between her and the company as possible which she certainly succeeded at doing due to the video as well as the promotion she did for the song. It's also the reason why twerking has become popular over the years given how she was many people's introduction to the movement.
This was sandwiched between Justice Crew's two earlier entries on this list, it's a reminder that the club boom was a massive deal during the first half of the decade as (in my opinion) there isn't much reason to return to this song unless you're in the mood for having a good night out.
Here's something that may surprise you with this sex jam from Jason Derulo, this was originally released exclusively in the southern hemisphere due to how popular he was in Australia and NZ and only crossed over internationally when it became one of his biggest hits in both countries. Apparently, we Aussies and kiwis were intrigued with him having a bad boy persona when this initially came out.
This is the second time that Nelly had a random hit this decade here in Australia, this time it's an endorsement for the car company Porsche that he attempts to frame as a love song to women who happened to be named after the car company. It was a hit here due to it being ultimately harmless, however many people complained that it was Nelly desperately trying to remain relevant in the mainstream.
It may surprise you to learn that Olly Murs didn't have any success outside his native UK until his third album where this lead single managed to become a worldwide hit for him, this might be due to having Flo Rida provide a guest verse which guaranteed him success over in America shortly after it became a hit for him worldwide. He would score two more international hits later in the decade with "Dear darling" and "Up."
Thought that Redfoo had faded into obscurity when he had a falling out with his nephew Skyblu which spelt the end of LMFAO? Well, it turns out that wasn't the case as he became a judge on X factor Australia which served as a launching pad for his solo career which began with this track that he filmed in Sydney's northern beaches. It was an instant success for him here and a minor hit worldwide.
Well, this is a song that caused quite the stir when it first came out, mainly because people have a lot of fond memories of A-ha's "Take on me" that this song ruined due to how egregiously the song samples that track for what's essentially a club banger from Pitbull and Christina Aguilera. Between the star power and the nostalgia bomb, it was an easy hit for the duo despite the internet's disapproval.
I guess it was inevitable that Matt Corby would score a genuine hit this decade following the success of his E.P from the year prior to releasing this track, evidently this was covered in one of the auditions on the Voice Australia which helped it become an instant success for the former reality show contestant.
This was the other big hit that Timomatic achieved during his short time in the spotlight, it was meant to be the lead single to his second album but said album was cancelled for unknown reasons which resulted in him fading into obscurity after this dropped off the charts.
For my American readers, this is the only song you'll likely recognise from MKTO as their earlier entry on this list was a massive flop on Billboard to the point where this second single was heavily delayed over there as it was a hit here in Australia six months before it even touched the Billboard charts. It's meant to be a throwback to the golden era of pop music from the 60's and 70's which many people appreciated.
This was one of two hits that Birds of Tokyo had here in Australia, the other was with "Plans" from the start of the decade which was the song that brought them from the indie sphere to the mainstream down under (stay tuned for it in a bit.) Here we have a more sombre ballad from their catalogue which connected with audiences when it was released as the lead single to their fourth album.
The Stafford brothers were an Australian duo who made it big here by somehow recruiting Lil Wayne and Christina Milian on this track which became a huge success during the dying days of the club boom, getting Christina makes sense given how A: she hadn't had a hit in over a decade and B: she was more popular here than in her native America. I'm not sure how they got Lil Wayne as he was still a massive success worldwide.
The hits just kept on coming for Jason Derulo here in Australia as this lead single to his third album was a massive success despite it underperforming in his native America much like the singles on his second album, I guess this is why he decided to release "Talk dirty" here after this became a hit to see if we Aussies and kiwis would be down with him becoming a bad boy in music.
And here we have another victim of Justin Bieber's death touch when it comes to artists collaborating with him, granted Will I am did score one more hit the year after this came out with "It's my birthday," however that was more of a hit in the UK due to his stint as a judge on the Voice UK. Here he has JB provide him a chorus for the second single to his second and (to date) final solo album.
This was a hit twice for Vance Joy here in Australia, the first time was upon its initial release and the second was when it was crowned as the best song of 2013 according to listeners of Triple J. Since its release, it's been featured in just about every commercial you can imagine here in Australia due to it being the perfect background music that can be used to pitch something to the general public.
Although they scored a hit here in Australia with "Decode" from the first Twilight soundtrack, Paramore were never that success outside of their native America save for this lead single to their fourth album which became a huge hit here in Australia despite it only barely being as such in their native America. Their big hit off this album on Billboard was the second single from the album "Ain't it fun."
Much like Samantha Jade, Nathaniel Willemse was already a professional musician when he went on the fourth season of X factor Australia, although he only came in sixth place which goes to show how little faith the Australian industry has in him. He proved the higher ups wrong with this hit of his less than a year after he was knocked out of the competition, and he even had a second hit with "Live louder" as well.
This was originally released on Lana Del Rey's debut album Born to die where it wasn't a hit anywhere in the world, likely because the album was itself a massive hit and thus didn't require to have the singles be a success for this to happen. It received a remix the following year from French DJ Cedric Gervais which turned the bittersweet ballad into a club jam and thus finally made it a huge success.
This was the first hit that Sam Smith had in any capacity, it's a song about them advising people to ignore criticism if it's delivered with such vitriol that one can't find any meaningful way to respond to. The song comes from the British DJ Naughty boy who scored their one and only hit here in Australia with this collaboration, however they had other hits throughout the world with their subsequent material.
Following the success of his earlier entry on this list, Olly Murs was all set to become one of the biggest artists of the decade here in Australia like he was in his native UK given how he scored a second hit from his third album with this ballad. Unfortunately, his prospects of being a huge pop star down under floundered as save for "Up" from his next album, he didn't have another hit here in Australia.
This was the second single that JT released as a lead artist after six years of focusing on his acting career, it was a much bigger hit than the lead single to his comeback album the 20/20 experience "Suit and tie" (which won't be appearing on this list) likely due to it sounding like something he would've released during the 00's. His popularity would decline as the decade went on save for his earlier appearance on this list.
This was the first hit that Avicii had here in Australia, true "Levels" did create buzz from him here, however that song was overshadowed by "Good feeling from Flo Rida given how that track came out shortly after Avicii's remix of "Something's got a hold of me." Here he collaborates with Nicky Romero on this track which resulted in the pair finding massive success in the EDM scene worldwide.
Although Dami Im was the one who won the fifth season of X factor Australia, the fan favourite of that season was Taylor Henderson who managed to score an even bigger hit than Dami's victory single which won't even be appearing on this list despite that being a number one hit for her.
